PBF to shut Delaware refinery FCC following fire
8/25/2015 12:00:00 AM
PBF Energy is expected to shut a 65,000-bpd fluid catalytic cracker (FCC) at its Delaware City refinery for at least a month following a recent explosion and fire at the facility, news agency Reuters reports.
Reuters quoted a source familiar with plant operations as saying the refinery would be shut for at least a month, and possibly much longer. The Delaware City refinery has a total capacity of 182,200 bpd.
The primary wet gas compressor associated with the FCC at Delaware City and its backup were damaged in the fire last Friday, and officials spent the weekend trying to assess the extent of the damage, the report said.
Repairs on the compressors could take much longer than a month, the source said, if necessary parts were not readily available.
Moreover, if a lengthy outage is needed, PBF could decide to carry out additional work that had been planned for a spring 2016 overhaul, Reuters reported.
Delaware City accounts for about 14% of total refining capacity on the US East Coast, and its location near the New York Harbor gives it a greater impact on markets.
Even with oil prices plummeting, gasoline costs in the US remain relatively high due to operational issues at refineries including Delaware City and BP's Whiting refinery in Indiana.
HollyFrontier also reported a fire at its Tulsa refinery in Oklahoma on Sunday, but the company said that incident had no impact on production.
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